India has been
practicing Caste
System for the last
2000 years. Hindu
India is divided
into 4 castes.
Brahmins are the
highest caste, they
are the priestly
caste. Then come the
Kshatriyas
(warriors), Vaishyas
(traders), and
lastly Sudras
(menials). A fifth
group the
untouchables
(numbering 200
million) lie outside
the caste system.

This division of
Hindu society was
based on Caste laws
first set out in the
Manu Smriti (The
Laws of Manu),
dating to the third
century. Men are
supposed to be
punished for sins of
past lives by being
consigned in low
castes.

The untouchables
were not allowed to
enter the temples.
Their touch was
considered a sin and
it made a caste
Hindu impure.
Shockingly, even
their shadows were
considered impure.
This discrimination
unlike Apartheid is
not based on the
colour of skin or
the race, but on the
caste into which one
is born.
Untouchables are
treated inhumanly
worse than animals.

Brahmins, (priestly
class) are
considered supreme
and education became
their property. The
Sudras and
untouchables were
denied education. If
a Sudra happened to
listen to Hindu
treatises cruel,
inhuman punishments
like pouring molten
tin in the ear were
meted out.

Because of centuries
of persecution of
the untouchables
under Brahmin
tyranny, when India
attained
independence (1947),
the father of Indian
Constitution, Dr. B.
R. Ambedkar, made a
provision for
reservation in all
Governmental
positions and
educational
institutes to ensure
that Untouchables
and tribes (also
known as Scheduled
Castes /Scheduled
Tribes) were
adequately
represented.

The 'untouchables'
prefer to be known
as "Dalit" for it
means broken,
crushed, destroyed
and it represents
the position of
untouchables and
tribes. We use the
word Dalit in the
leaflet.

As per the
constitutional right
of reservation,
Dalits are entitled
to obtain 22.5% of
the vacancies in
State postings &
admissions to
courses of study.
This percentage
tallies with
percentage of Dalits
in the Indian
population.

Brahmins have
monopolized entire
educational sector
in India. The
Brahmin caste forms
only 3% of India's
population but it
occupies all top
scholastic &
legislative
positions. They deny
the Dalits even
basic Education.

In this pamphlet, we
bring out the
plights of the
Dalits and the
various harassments
they face in one of
the premier
educational
institute in India-
The Indian Institute
of Technology,
Madras.

The Indian
Institutes of
Technology (IITs)
were established in
1959 for the purpose
of providing higher
technological
education of world
standards to the
poor downtrodden
students, who
couldn't afford to
study abroad. The
institutes are in
the cities of
Bombay, Delhi,
Gawhati, Kanpur,
Kharaghpur, and
Madras.

Indian Institutes of
Technology are
declared under the
Parliament of India
(Act 59 of 1961) as
Institutes of
National Importance.
These six institutes
totally get an
annual grant of
Rs.9000 crores from
the Indian
Government (approx.
US $ 2000 million),
yet sadly these
funds are not
utilized for the
benefit of the
downtrodden.

Even these top
institutes have not
been spared from the
disaster of the
caste system. The
institute at present
does not implement
the reservation
policy for the
Dalits. The reason
for this vindictive
flouting of social
justice norms is the
Brahmin domination
in the
administration and
teaching at the
institute.

In the IIT Madras,
out of 427 faculty
members (teaching
staff) only 2
faculty members
belong to the Dalit
community. Both
these members only
belong to the lower
cadre. Also, this
means that instead
of 22.5% of
positions being
allotted to Dalits
only 0.4%
reservation is being
given. If the proper
process of
reservation is
followed there
should be 96 Dalit
faculty members.

Also, although
Muslims form about
15% of the Indian
population there is
not a single Muslim
faculty member in
the Institute. There
are only a handful
of Christian faculty
members.

Around 400 faculty
members belong to
the Brahmin
community. This
means that the
Brahmins occupy 93%
of the teaching
community in the
institute although
their percentage in
population is only
3%. About 15 faculty
members belong to
other Hindu castes
apart from Dalits or
Brahmins.

The selection to the
B.Tech degree is
based on an All
India Level Entrance
test called the JEE
(Joint Entrance
Examination), which
is held commonly for
the 6 IITs.

Discrimination
against the Dalits
begins at the stage
of applying itself.
The Dalit students
are issued coloured
application forms
whereas other
students are always
given white coloured
forms. This year the
application forms
given to Dalit
students were pink
in color and last
year it was green.
This is a shocking
case of modern day
apartheid, and a
greater shock is
that the answer
sheets of Dalit
students are also
coloured.

This year (2001),
537 students were
selected to join
B.Tech in IIT
Madras. Of these 503
students belong to
the general category
and only 34 students
belong to the Dalit
community. Instead
of 22.5% reservation
eligible to Dalits
only 6.3% is being
filled up. If
reservation is
properly implemented
there should be 121
Dalit students in
B.Tech course.

Only a handful of
the Dalit students
who clear the Joint
Entrance Exam are
allowed to join the
Institute and some
of them are forced
to take a one year
training called
Preparatory Course
and they are taught
school portions once
more. The institute
then conducts
internal exams, and
a few of them are
selected to join the
institute & are made
a year junior to
upper caste
classmates
Conducting of
Preparatory Courses
only to Dalit
students is
violative of Right
to Equality and is a
highly
discriminatory
practice.

Dalit students
selected for the
B.Tech are
continuously
harassed & they are
wantonly failed in
courses by Brahmin
faculty. This is
facilitated because
student's caste is
mentioned in the
roll call given to
Faculty members.
Very few Dalit
students are allowed
to complete their
B.Tech degree and
many discontinue.
Dalit students are
entirely denied
admissions to other
programs like
M.Tech, M.S. & Ph.D.

In the Department of
Mathematics, IIT
Madras, till 1998 no
Dalit student had
been selected for
the Ph.D. program.
Despite appearing
twice for interview
a Dalit student
Mr.S.R.Kannan was
not selected. For
selecting him Dr.
(Mrs.) Vasantha
Kandasamy, an
Associate Professor
of the Department
had to appeal to
various social
justice forums to
see that he was
selected. Till date
he is yet to be
allotted an office
room in the
Mathematics
Department.

Dr. Vasantha fought
for the Dalit
scholar, so she is
harassed in all
possible ways. She
was selected as
Associate Professor
in 1996, but she is
denied her right
salary. Despite
being a highly
qualified
mathematician having
published over 350
research papers in
journals &
conferences, she is
discriminated
because she is
espousing the cause
of Dalit education.
She has guided 11
students for their
doctoral program -
Ph.D.

In an effort to put
a stop-gap to the
Dalit movement the
IIT Madras
administration is
victimizing Dr.
Vasantha. She has
sent over 62 letters
of appeal to the
Indian Government to
do justice but no
action has been
taken. So, Dr.
Vasantha will be
directly approaching
the United Nations
Committee on
Elimination of
Discrimination
Against Women.

Over 200 cases are
pending in Honorable
Courts in Madras
against Director,
IIT Madras, for the
past five years &
some of these cases
are regarding denial
of reservation for
Dalits.

Thanthai Periyar
Dravidar Kazhagam
and Dalit Panthers
of India along with
21 other Dalit
organizations have
formed a Social
Justice Retrieval
Forum and are
fighting for the
rights of Dalits and
reservation policy
in Indian Institute
of Technology IIT,
Madras.

We pray to the
International Forum
of WCAR to support
the cause of Dalit
Education in IITs,
and recruitment of
Dalit Teachers in
IITs and include the
same in your agenda.